Combat
Melee Combat Skills New Melee Skills Bearing in mind the core firearms skills in CoC (Handgun, Machine Gun, Shotgun, Submachine Gun, Rifle) as a good example of how diversity in weapons should be treated, and still coalescing personal attacks into one skill (Brawl) separate from the ability to Grapple, the following melee skills are introduced. Other, more exotic weapons can often be found to conform generally to the principles applied to any of these skills. The rope dart or bullwhip, for example, are both similar to a fighting chain. *Brawl, base rating 50% *Sword, base rating 20% *Knife, base rating 25% *Club, base rating 25% *Ax/Hammer, base rating 20% *Spear, base rating 15% *Chain, base rating 05% Devices such as chainsaws, on the other hand, should demand its own skill. Power Tools never benefit from your melee DB. Many powertools are easier to conceal in certain locales, as carrying a hammer in a construction site is unlikely to illicit the same reaction as carrying a pistol. *Power Tools, base rating 20%. Existing Melee Skills These skills have had their functionality changed very slightly from CoC, and so you may refer to their descriptions and mechanics within the source book. *''Kick (Brawl Maneuver: Brawl-25%) – Whether a straight forward kick to the groin or jaw, an elegant karate-style flying kick, or a kick with both legs while lying on a floor, a Kick is powerful enough to do damage wherever it lands. A Kick may parry and Martial Arts may add to its effectiveness, but do not apply the knock-out rule to kick except in rare circumstances. *''Martial Arts (01%) – ''Use in combination with an attack with Fist/Punch, Head Butt, Kick, or Grapple. If the attack roll is equal to or less than the attacker’s Martial Arts percentage, the attack does double damage: thus Fist/Punch would do 2D3 plus normal damage bonus. Martial Arts doubles the damage done if the attack strikes home, but do not double any damage bonus. :: -A person with Martial Arts may choose which attack to parry just before the attack, and does not need to make a parry statement at the beginning of the round. :: -Even with Martial Arts, bullets and other projectiles cannot be parried. *''Head Butt (Brawl Maneuver: Brawl-40%) – ''The essential barroom brawl skill, Head Butt is applied to the belly of an opponent, or else to his temple, crown, nose, chin, or back of head. This personal attack can be made in cramped surroundings. It is surprisingly quick and of demoralizing intensity. One cannot parry with Head Butt, but Martial Arts can add to its effect. The knock-out rule can be applied to it. *''Grapple(25%) – ''A grapple is a special personal attack, frequently chosen to subdue an opponent without harming him. This attack may be parried by a countering successful Grapple or other attack by the target, but only in the first round of attack. If a Grapple attack succeeds in the first round and is not neutralized, then the attacker holds the target and may thereafter exercise one of several options. :: -Immobilize the target by overcoming the target’s STR with his or her own STR, using the Resistance Table. With a success, the target is held fast indefinitely, until the grappler attempts another action. :: -Knock down the target. If used, the option automatically succeeds. :: -Knock out the target in the first or later round, the knock-out rule applies. :: -Disarm the target. With successful Grapples in consecutive rounds, an investigator could Grapple to prevent a hand-to-hand attack in the first round and then seize the weapon or weapon hand in the second round. :: -Physically injure the target. The opponent already must be successfully grappled. Then the grappler Must receive a second successful Grapple roll in that round, or a successful Grapple in some later round. Success costs the target 1D6 hit points plus the attacker’s damage bonus. Harm in subsequent rounds requires a new Grapple success in those rounds, and the amount of injury done remains the same. :: -Strangle the target. Beginning in the round in which the intention is stated, the target begins to asphyxiate as per the Drowning rules :: (''Keeper’s Note – D100 rolls against CON x 10 for the 1st round, CON x 9 for the 2nd etc, it reaches CON x 1. Surprised characters start at CON x 6. Should the roll fail at any time, the character takes 1D6 damage, and continues to take 1D6 damage in every following round while being unable to breathe). :: This continues in subsequent rounds. The attacker needs no further Grapple rolls. If either injury-making Grapple, the victim can escape only by a successful STR match on the Resistance Table. Combine STRs if two people are attacking. *''Fist/Punch (Brawl Maneuver: Brawl%) – A self-explanatory skill, which might be depicted as a closed fist, a karate chop, a roundhouse punch, a violent slap, etc. One can use Fist/Punch to parry Kick and Head Butt, Martial Arts can add to the skill’s impact, and the knock-out rule applies to it :: (''Keeper’s Note – the knock-out rule refers to attempting to use the blow to knock someone out instead of causing lethal damage. Some lethal damage will still be caused, but a D100 roll must be made to see if the attempt succeeded, pitting the damage that would have been caused against the target’s remaining hit-points on the Resistance Table. How such rolls are made will be explained in the Resistance Table section). *''Dodge (DEX x 2%) – Allows an investigator instinctively to evade blows, thrown missiles, attacks from ambush, and so forth. A character attempting Dodge in a combat round may also parry, but not attack. Dodge can increase through experience, like other skills. If an attack can be seen, a character can try to dodge it. Against guns, a defender may try to dodge only the first bullet fired at him in a round. Ranged Weapons These skills have not had their functionality changed from CoC, and so you may refer to their descriptions and mechanics within the source book. *''Submachine Gun (15%) – ''When firing any machine pistol or submachine gun, use this skill. *''Throw (25%) – ''To hit a target with an object, or to hit a target with the right part of the object thrown (such as the blade of a knife or hatchet), use Throw. **A palm-sized object of reasonable balance can be hurled three yards for each STR point exceeding the object’s SIZ. - An object designed to be thrown can be hurled up to six yards for each STR point in excess of the object’s SIZ, and perhaps bounce on for more. Keepers must choose the multiplier suitable to the baseball, javelin, etc. - If the Throw roll fails, then the object lands at some random distance from the target. Compare the closeness of the die roll result to the highest number which would have indicated success, and choose a distance in yards between target and thrown object that feels comparable. *''Rifle (25%) – ''The user can fire any type of rifle, whether lever-action, bolt-action, or semi-automatic. When a shotgun fires a rifled slug, use this skill. Shots per round mostly vary because of the weapon’s action and recoil, and the subsequent time needed to reacquire the target.At the keeper’s option, use of a black-powder rifle requires a History roll as well to load and fire it properly. *''Shotgun (30%)– With this skill any scatter-gun can be fired. Since the load expands in a spreading pattern, the user’s chance to hit does not decrease with range, but the damage done does. At ranges from 10-20 yards, 1D3 close-together targets can be hit with one round, and from 20-50 yards, 1D6 such targets can be hit. The keeper decides whether the targets are close enough for this rule. Double-barreled shotguns can be sawed off, for purposes of concealment and portability. In the United States, such weapons are illegal by the 1920s. If firing a rifled slug, use the Rifle skill. *''Machine Gun (15%) – Use this skill whenever firing bursts from a bipod or tripod mounted weapon. If single shots are fired from a bipod, use the Rifle skill if it is higher. *''Handgun (20%) – ''Use for all pistol-like firearms when firing discrete shots. The rate-of-fire differences between handguns is partly from recoil and time needed to take new aim on the target, and partly from difference in mechanism between a revolver and a semi-automatic. Properly loading and firing a black-powder handgun may, at the keeper’s option, require a successful History roll as well. Additionally, the following ranged weapon skills are not found in the core book, but relevant regardless: *''Bow (20%) – ''Use for all bows, regardless of mechanism (recurve, compound, self, composite, reflex, etc). This does not include crossbows. Bows generally cannot be concealed upon the body and often are not stored strung. The range of a bow is relative to its draw and whether or not the arc of its fire is compensated for by the archer; generally speaking, the bow's short range is equal to 3xSTR, though it really depends on the type of bow. Many bows have significant pull to their bowstrings, meaning bows of certain mechanisms or scale will have minimum STR requirements. Generally speaking, a bow is effectively a silenced weapon. *''Crossbow (20%) - Use for all crossbows. Unlike bows, crossbows fire relatively straight (though not so straight as a firearm) and do not benefit from the wielder's strength. Crossbows are also far more compact and easily stored, with fixed ranges (usually 40/80/160). Generally speaking, a crossbow is effectively a silenced weapon. Shield Use Shields provide cover based on their size, effectively penalizing an opponent’s chance to hit you. However, shields take that damage in place of you, meaning most shields are at best temporary. When an attack misses due to cover provided by a shield, the shield then takes the damage the attack would’ve otherwise dealt to the character. Temporary shields are trash can lids, car doors, house doors, anything big and bulky you can take cover behind. They are destroyed in ⅓ the damage of a normal shield. Shield material determines the damage it can take. Wooden shields are destroyed after 9 HP of damage. Steel shields, after 15. Impact plastic or fiberglass, 18. Small shields cover the forearm, plus a bit; generally the whole torso. These confer a defensive modifier of -15% to attacks. Personal shields are kite shields or other shields of a size to cover about half the body. These confer a defensive modifier of -30% to attacks. Body shields are big enough to hide behind; tower shields, pavises, doors, small walls, essentially full cover. These confer a defensive modifier of -50% to attacks. The skill Shield Use (base rating: 2xSTR%) is used when rolling to Parry with a shield, and, with the appropriate fighting style, to bash with one. Shields, being designed to block attacks, are especially effective at Parrying and add their negative modifier directly to your skill in Shield Use - this does mean a Body Shield provides +50% to Parry rolls. When carrying a shield, your balance is off. All attacks are at -30% when a shield is held ready for defense. Category:CoC Conversion Rules